Far too much has been written on Luthiers trying to recreate the work of Stradivarius. But what about the instruments along the way and the community of aspiring makers? Every maker has a unique path from novice to expert, but we should mention
spots along the whole journey.

Chris Vaisvil blogs about his instruments. Taking a design approach that mirrors Civil Engineering, these are instruments are built on raw functionality, minimal costa and completeness. He incorporates whatever is readily accessible to him, spend 20 bucks and make a finished product. Rough edges. Raw finish. Awesome.

The Japanese have a word Shokunin to that means master craftsman. But its also a way of life, striving for perfection in work and technique. This balance come through in the videos. Its amazing how fast he works through his pieces, the nice setups he has for holding his grips, the precise yet simple tools that employs. Youtube allows you to skip between parts of the video, so you can hear the timbre changes arise while he works on the soundboard. Stop reading, and go watch his videos now.